Yakitiyak heading back!

Good news!

Team Healthy Yak has come together consisting of Dr. Andrew Skidmore from Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, Dr. Claire Windeyer from the University of Guelph, soon-to-be Dr. Kristen Obbink, 4th-year veterinary student from Iowa State University, and yours truly. Dr. Skidmore is working on securing enough Safe Guard cattle dewormer from ISPAH to treat 2,500 yaks in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal.

Working with Russell and Himex we are set to arrive into Kathmandu, Nepal on April 5 and soon after fly into Lukla to start our adventure up the Khumbu towards Everest BC, along with way conducting several Healthy Yak clinics. After a couple days in the Everest BC area we will begin the trek back towards Lukla conducting several more clinics on the way out. For the second half of the trip a 5th member of the team will be joining us, Ms. Bobbi Cunningham, a veterinary technician student from Colorado who will be trekking into Everest BC with her fiance Mr. Michael Ortiz from Chicago who will be there to attempt to reach Everest's summit as a member of the 2011 Himex Everest Expedition. As the time draws near for this new "Animaltarian" effort I will update you with specific details (villages where clinics will be conducted, etc.). Thanks to those who have donated to this cause as it would not be possible without you!

UK Reunion!!!

My mother Karen, stepfather Ira (they are standing in front of Buckingham Palace in the photo), daughter Bailee and I recently returned from our week-long trip to the UK where we spent the majority of our time in and around London, as well as a couple of days in Oxford. Unfortunately my son's illness (gastroparesis) prohibited him from traveling which meant his mother stayed behind as well. This was the only bummer about the trip yet I am optimistic that all will return to the UK in one year (if not before) to celebrate the marriage of Christopher and Victoria. It was a pleasure to finally meet Grizz's "bird" Victoria. I am already looking forward to the second annual reunion.

The weather could not have been better (nor could my wonderful daughter :-) as we took in the famous sites and history of London (Buckingham Palace, War Cabinet, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, etc.). Grizz's parents, Pamela and Peter Macklin were gracious enough to allow us to use their flat for the week, located in the wonderful district of Chelsea, just footsteps away from Buckingham, Harrod's and Hyde Park). I even got to see David Tait (Everest teammate and 3-time Everest Summiteer) at his UBS office in downtown London.

After a few days in London we traveled by train to Oxford, staying with my friend and Everest teammate Stuart Carder and his lovely wife Jane on their picturesque cattle farm just outside the city. The peace and quiet were great but even better was Stuey's talent as a tour guide (note the sunglass exchange between my daughter and Stuey in the picture). We visited Bleinheim Palace and Oxford itself, the highlight being our visits to the various colleges of Oxford University. We even got to see the memorial to Sandy Irvine (he perished on Everest near the summit in 1924 with George Mallory) on Merton College.

Perhaps the greatest highlight of the trip for me was reuniting with my teammates and brothers from Everest. The Macklins hosted a wonderful BBQ at their home near Wimbledon where I got to meet Christopher's brother Andrew, his wife Justine and their two beautiful children Eloise and George. Stuey and Jane even drove down from Oxford to join us. It was the reunion of the "3 Amigos!" (see pic) I will be anxious to see my mates again in the near future.

Mt. Blanca - 1/2 way up Everest!

July 10, 2010: I was given the opportunity to help a friend and colleague fulfill a 30-year dream. After having grown up in Colorado, Dr. Mark Branine used to drive past 14,345' Mt. Blanca in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, wondering what it would be like to stand atop its summit. On July 9, 2010 we set off to do just that. After ascending ~3500' to our camp situated next to picturesque Como Lake we rested up for next day's summit bid. Although not an alpine start as on Everest, we managed to leave camp at 7:25 a.m., weaving away up and around Bear Lake and Crater Lake, the latter which sits at the foot of Blanca. Four hours later and after some Class 2-3 scrambling we found ourselves with amazing 360 degree views from atop the peak considered to be holy ground by native american indians. We could see Pikes Peak to the north near Colorado Springs. Over my shoulder in the photo is Ellingwood Point, another 14ner.

I have to admit, although Blanca is just under half the height of Everest, it posed a formidable challenge. It was great to get my mountain legs back under me. I couldn't have been more happy for Mark in accomplishing a dream. I appreciated the opportunity to be there for that moment. What a great smile on my friend's face!

Post-Everest Life: No Place but UP!

Long time no read! The year+ following my return home from Everest has been a whirlwind to say the least. I returned home to Wisconsin on June 1, 2009, completing the goal of standing on top of the world AND returning safely to family and friends. It was a tremendous moment hugging my family in the Appleton, Wisconsin airport. I satisfied my cravings (Jolly Roger's bacon cheeseburger pizza in New London, a peanut-buster parfait from Dairy Queen, and last but not least a Double Quarter Pounder w/cheese from McDonald's restaurant which in fact was the first craving to be satisfied within the Detroit airport after landing on US soil!) within the first week of being home. Oh, and sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep! And it didn't take long to regain the 27 lbs of weight I lost! Geez....

I returned to work one week after returning home, soon after taking on the role as spokesperson for an Alpharma-sponsored agriculture awareness campaign called Reach, Teach, Learn or RTL for short (http://www.reachteachlearn.com/). Through this program I have been able to address thousands of students across the US and in fact, am typing while preparing to speak at Bucknell University located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. I have also lined up many business venues to speak at on my own time. Sharing the story of how important it is to Dream, Believe, and Achieve has been terrific. You can find out a bit more about my speaking engagements on the Speaking Page of my website, http://www.foxeverest.com/ which has been craftfully put together by my friend and Everest teammate Megan Delehanty (aka Ms. Perserverance while on the mountain).

I am in the process of writing a book about the adventure and what led me to want to climb Mount Everest. The title of my book is No Place but UP! It is a phrase I feel is important to remember, even on a bad day. Why? Just think about it, from there you have No Place but UP to go! I hope to have the book completed and in the hands of a publisher by early next spring, just in time for my return trip to Nepal. This time however I won't be climbing any mountains. I have tied into a foundation called Friends of Humanity (http://www.friendsofhumanity.ch/) out of Switzerland which focuses its work primarily in the region surrounding Everest. With their help we have created a new program within the foundation called "Healthy Yak." Please check out my website, specifically the Healthy Yak page to find out more about my plans to help the people of Nepal by helping their beloved yaks.

I hope to provide you with updates on the progress of Healthy Yak, my book, and my travels around the country. For now remember, No Place but UP!

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Sir Winston Churchill

Snow and Celebration

It is hard to believe that the time has come to say goodbye to our 'home away from home.' The 25th of May brought the return of Summit Team 2 back to basecamp. Everyone from that team, including my good friend Chris Macklin (aka Grizzly Adams) from England, who made it to the South Col summited on May 23!

Russell Brice and Himalayan Experience Ltd put 58 people on top of the world this season. That number included 20 clients (David Taite in early May, 10 from Team 1 and 9 from Team 2), guides, sherpas, and film crew. Ellen Miller and her sherpa were also successsful in reaching the summit of Lhotse. All in all an amazing accomplishment to say the least.

Our exact departure from BC for the 3-day trek down the valley to Lukla has been a bit uncertain as we received 1 meter (just over 3 feet) of snow in the past 24 hours (see photo). The early part of the monsoon has arrived here in the Khumbu. Yet Russell informed us during his farewell speech today that the 40 head of yak he ordered to carry our gear will be here tomorrow (5/27) and that the weather will likely break overnight. So off we go tomorrow (unless Mother Nature says otherwise during the night) with daypacks towards Pengboche for the night. The following day will find us headed towards the busy village of Namche Bazaar. The 29th means we will finally end up in Lukla and if the weather cooperates (historically speaking, getting stuck here for days is possible, not to mention having to help shovel off the runway by hand!) we'll fly back to Kathmandu the morning of the 30th. From there some leave for home as early as the next day (like me) while others will remain for a few days to a week or more.

Celebrating the expedition's success started after lunch today and in fact is still going on within the Tiger Dome/White Pod as I lay here in the comfort and warmth of my sleeping bag while the wind outside my tent continues to blow snow around. A lot of emotions today. Happy because of the success we had on the mountain, not to mention there were no injuries and everyone walked away with all their fingers and toes intact. Sad because we go our separate ways in just days.

I cannot thank Russell Brice and Himalayan Experience enough for making my dream come true. I also want to again thank Alpharma Animal Health for its support and commitment to this "Quest for Success." Finally, I want to thank my family for allowing me to be gone for so long and for keeping the faith. I miss you and love you and will be home very soon now!

To those of you that have followed my dispatches and to those who have emailed, a very BIG thank you. Your words of encouragement as well as congratulations have meant so much to me. Once back home please feel free to contact me at my normal (i.e. non-mountain email) email address: lancesfox@gmail.com Namaste one last time from Himalayan Experience BC here at the foot of mighty Mount Everest.

May your dreams come true and God bless you!

More From "On High"

5300m Himex BC - Since posting the success of standing at the top of the world and getting back down safely to BC I have received a lot of congratulatory emails. Thank you for taking the time to write. Unfortunately it sounds like at least some of you found that that at least one of the photos I posted did not show up.

All pictures are important to me yet the one that means a lot to me that may have failed is my father's ashes spreading into the heaven above Mt. Everest.Because my father was a great man whom I was privileged to know and learn from for the first 16 years of my life. I have decided to repost today with that picture along with a couple more new ones from atop the highest point on our planet. I hope they display properly!

After much needed rest last night the sun is shining today, May 24, 2009. A sunny Sunday morning here in the Himalayas. I'd like to think God may have ordered up such a beautiful day for my fellow teammates to descend from the South Col to Camp 2 today. The sun also means recharging batteries via solar power and doing much needed laundry. Yes, wearing the same clothes for a week means they start to walk on their own!

That's all for now from BC. I will dispatch again soon. Namaste!

Summit Success!

5300 m - Just after 9 o'clock in the morning Kathmandu time on the 21st of May, 2009 I stepped onto the planet's highest point, not able to go any higher.

I realize all of you have been patiently waiting to hear whether my dream became reality and I thank you for your enthusiasm. Not dispatching for the past week has been hard, but now that I am safely back in basecamp I am thrilled to share my excitement.

Out of 11 climbers on Summit Team 1, nine of us reached the top of the world on the morning of May 21, 2009. One of our Norwegian friends (Thomas) fell ill prior to ascending the Lhotse face and had to abandon his summit bid. He has recovered here in BC.

My dear friend and terrific tentmate Stuart Carder elected to stop at the south summit of Everest, the second highest point on our planet. I admire his wisdom in making that decision but that is what smart mountaineering is about, listening to your gut. I cannot thank Stuart enough for lending me his shoulder prior to the start of our summit bid from the South Col (Camp 4 perched just under 8000 meters or 26,000') as climbing Everest involves a mixed bag of emotions. Nevertheless we shared the joy of both the South Summit and Summit, respectively.

As I type this dispatch the afternoon of May 23 here in Nepal, we have learned that all of Summit Team 2 have successfully summited today and are now back at Camp 4 resting. They still have 2 days to descend to BC so we will keep them in our prayers as the climb is obviously not over.

Unfortunately the only person from Team 2 who could not make a summit bid was my friend Jim Holliday. Similar to Thomas, Jim was suddenly struck with illness prior to ascending the Lhotse face a second time. He has recovered completely here in BC which we are grateful for.

As you can imagine I took numerous photos, at least when I was in a safe position to do so. My website can only accept 3 per dispatch so I've chosen 3 for your viewing pleasure. Not sure if I should call The Guiness Book of World Records (haha) but I'd like to think the first photo might represent the world's highest cheese wedge!? Okay, I couldn't help but cram one of Wisconsin's pride and joy into my pack. The look on the sherpas' faces who were on the summit with me when I pulled it out of the stuff sack was priceless.

Onto more serious matters. My sherpa, Tashi Tshering perfectly captured a wonderful moment for me on camera. I realize that for the web the resolution size is reduced but if you look closely, you can see my father's ashes being carried by the jet stream winds atop Mt. Everest. Truly a glorious moment for me to honor my late father. While crying at that moment seems reasonable, the chilly temps meant every drop of liquid outside the body instantly froze so I held the tears back. Still, a moment I will cherish forever.

And last but not least, this trip would not have been possible without the generous support of my employer and sponsor, Alpharma Animal Health. It was with a lot of pride that I held up the logo of this terrific company at the top of the world. The "Quest for Success" was completed on a beautiful day. Winds were mild, the temperature at the summit was somewhere between -10 to -20 F, and the sky was a brilliant blue.

I wish I could not only share all the photos with you now, but also the images that are forever burned in my memory. Like climbing between what is called "the balcony" and the South Summit on a moderate pitch and snow blown ridge when the sun first rises. Or the lightning show we witnessed far to the east while the moon and stars hovered above us during the 6-hour night time portion of our summit climb.

While we wait for our remaining teammates we will start the process of packing and preparing for the 3-day trek back to Lukla where we'll catch flights to Kathmandu, hopefully on the 30th. From there we will say goodbye and go our separate ways. I hope to dispatch a couple more times before that time.

I would again like to thank my family, friends, colleagues, and even those of you who took the time to write whom I don't know for all the wonderful words of encouragement. Every word meant a lot as they helped me to push myself to the top of the world and get back down safely. And in case you were wondering, the last week meant another 6 lbs so the grand total weight loss program here at Everest for me? 24 pounds Yep, looking forward to those cheeseburgers, pizzas, and ice cream desserts! :)